Harpoon gun



April 18, 1950 B. S. HOLDERNESS HARPOON GUN 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Nov.30, 1946 April 18, 1950 B. s. HOLDERNESS HARPOON GUN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Nov. 30, 1946 Q R WVENTOR fienjam/h J. /10/d?/'/75S -BY ATTORNEYPatented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARPOON GUN BenjaminS. Holderness, Yonkers, N. Y.

Application November 30, 1946, Serial No. 713,275

Claims.

This invention relates to a harpoon gun intended primarily for shootingfish, and has for its object to provide a gun which will be practicaland efiicient for such purpose.

It is not possible to aim accurately from the air at a target underwater, except in a vertical direction, because of therefraction of lightwhich occurs at the surface of the water. If, however, the gun issubmerged, "it is possible to aim accurately b y sighting along it at a.fish. The word fish as here used is meant to include every possibleunderwater target.

In a gun to be used under water it is not feasible to use powder as thepropellant for the projectile. Oneimportant feature of the pres-' entinvention has to do with the employment of a cartridge charged with gas,such as carbon dioxide, under high pressure for driving the proiiectileout-of the gun and toward the target.

It is not broadly new to utilize a compressed gas cartridge as thepropelling means for a projectile. In accordance with the presentinvention, however, the cartridge is lodged in an open breech behind thebarrel in a position to have its forward end punctured when thecartridge ls thrust forward. A plunger engaged with the rear end of thecartridge is adapted to be thrust forward by a trigger actuated toggle.The trigger when operated toward the rear carries the toggle through thedead center or straight line condition so that it forces the plunger toa forward limit of movement for puncturing the cartridge and thenpermits the plunger partially to retreat. A hand grip located directlybehind the trigger positively arrests rearward movement of the triggerand thereby limits the distance that the plunger can be forced rearwardby the recoil of the cartridge when firing. The forward end of thecartridge is by this means trapped in a puncturing chamber from whichthe gas can escape only into the barrel. When the cartridg'e has beenfully discharged the trigger may be operated in the reverse direction soas to bring about further retraction of the plunger and thereby permitthe cartridge to be removed from the gun and the to be reloaded.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 isaview-inslde elevation of a harpoon gun which is illustrative of thepresent invention, the gun being shown broken away intermediate its ends:for compactness of illustration;

Fig. '2 is-n fragmentary view showing the harpoon just as it is passingclear of the gun barrel, the barb being illustrated in full lines uponthe harpoon shaft and in dotted lines removed from the harpoon shaft;

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the barb;'

Fig. 4 is a view in rear elevation of the barb;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the barb taken upon the line '5--5 of'Fig. 3 looking in'the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a'fragmentarysectional view showing the loaded gun andparticularly the firing mechanism thereof;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan'viw, partly in section, of the structureillustrated in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary'plan view showing particularly the end of thegun barrel and the line holder mounted thereon; and

Fig. '9'is a sectional "view taken upon the line 9-9 of Fig. 8 lookingin the direction of the arrows.

The gun I comprises a stock portion 2 which includes a curved shoulderabutment 3, and a bentrod 4 which is rigid with 't-hesh'oulde'rabutment. Uponthe forward end of the'rod 4 there is rigidly secured asleeve or tube "5 which will be described in considerable detailpresently. Within the forward end of the sleeve 5 there is affixed abarrel adapter block 6.

The block '6 includes a forwardly opening threaded bore 1. The forwardborel' connects through .a passage 8 with a rear bore 9 of the block.Within the forward bore '1 there is pro vided a ring .or agasket IIIhaving a bore l'l formed through it. A gun barrel I2 is threaded intothe bore 1 to bear firmly against the ring 10. The bore H of the ring 10is of considerably less diameter than the bore of the gun barrel, sothat the ring Ill constitutes an abutment for limiting penetration ofthe shaft l3 of a harpoon M. The primary function of the ring In, however, is to seal the joint between the barrel l2 and the adapter 6.

As has already been mentioned, the harpoon is fired by the puncturing of:a cartridge l5. The cartridge desirably contains carbon dioxide underanressure of theorder of 900 lbs. per square inch. The .cartridge 5 isformed with a reduced neck portion :at its forward .end which isreceived within a block it, theibloek 16 being threaded into the rearbore :5 of the adapter 6.

The block .IB is shouldered at its forward end to provide a rabbet l1and a compressible gasket I8 is lodged in'the .rabbet and clamped'firmly :in place :by the threading of .the block [6 into the rear boreoftheadapter-G. The block it "is formed with a plurality of passages l9through which the gas released from the cartridge may pass. A cartridgepuncturing pin is set in the center of the block 16 and faces rearwardtoward the cartridge IS. A gasket 2| is lodged in a groove 22 of theblock [6, the gasket being adapted to hug the neck of the cartridge l5and oppose leakage of gas from within the block 16 around the neck ofthe cartridge.

The sleeve 5 is formed with a breech opening 23 which is constantly openand through which the cartridge [5 can be inserted. The internaldiameter of the sleeve 5 is slightly larger than the external diameterof the cartridge. 7

A plunger 24 is provided having a rounded recess 25 formed in itsforward face which engages the rounded rear end of the cartridge l5 forholding the cartridge in place and for forcing the cartridge forward tofire it in a manner which will be described at a subsequent point.

Just in front of the forward end of the rod 4 there is provided withinthe sleeve 5 a cylindrical block 26 having a slot 21 formed in it. Ametallic plate 28 having a rearwardly offset ear 28X is inserted througha slot. 29 formed in the lower side of the sleeve 5. The ear 28X isinserted in the slot 21 and is held in place by a shoulder screw 30which is passed in through a wall of the sleeve 5. The cylindrical block26 includes a small threaded bore 3| for receiving the reduced threadedend of the screw 30 and a comparatively large unthreaded bore 32 forreceiving the body or head of the screw. The ear 28X has a height equalto the diameter of the sleeve 5, so that the plate 28 is held againstturning about the axis of the screw 30. Side plates 33 are secured uponopposite sides of the metallic plate 28 by means of suitable fasteningssuch as rivets 34. The plate 28 in combination with the two side plates33 constitutes a hand grip to be grasped in the trigger hand of theuser.

, The rear end of the plunger 24 is formed with a slot 35 in which theforward arm of a T-shaped trigger 36 is located. The trigger 36 ismounted upon a pivot screw 31. The screw is inserted through an openingformed in the sleeve 5. The screw 31 comprises a head or body 39 and areduced threaded end portion 40. The head 39 extends across the slot 35and constitutes a bearing for the trigger 36. The rear arm of thetrigger 36 is connected through a pivot pin 42 with a pair of links 43.The links 43 are in turn connected through a pivot pin 44 with thestationary plate 28.

It is evident, of course, from the description which has been given thatthe cross arm of the T-shaped trigger cooperates with the links 43 toform a toggle.

When a cartridge is to be put in place or removed, the trigger 36 ismoved to the dot-an dash line position indicated by 36a in Fig. 6, thepivot pin 42 of the toggle being thereby moved to the position indicatedat 42a. This pulls the plunger 24 back from the position illustrated inFig. 6 so that its forward'face substantially clears the breech opening23. with this extra clearance provided, the spent cartridge can beconveniently extracted and a fresh cartridge can be conveniently slippedinto place.

The normal position of the trigger 36 is the full line positionillustrated in Fig. 6. In this position the pivot pin 42 is still belowthe line of centers of the toggle. The forward end of the cartridge justtouches the point of the puncturing pin 20, and the concave face of theplunger 24 4 bears against the rounded rear end of the cartridge l5 tohold it in place.

When it is desired to fire the gun, the user holds the handle grip 28,33 against the palm of his hand, curls one or more fingers around thetrigger 36 and pulls the trigger sharply to the rear until it isarrested in the position marked 36b in Fig. 6 by engagement with thehandle grip 28, 33. In executing this movement the pivot 42 of thetoggle crosses the line of centers. When the pivot reaches the line ofcenters the plunger 24 is thrust to its forward limit. This thrusts thecartridge l5 forward onto pin 25, causing the cartridge to be punctured.The trigger by its continued rearward movement, however, carries the pin42 upward to the position. indicated at 4227. This causes the plunger 24to be drawn rearward 'a short distance from its forward limitingposition, and since the gas is now free to escape into the block I6, itforces the cartridge to follow the plunger 24 in the rearward movementof the latter. When the trigger reaches the position 36b, however, it ispositively arrested by the hand grip and, through the plunger 24,positively arrests rearward movement of the cartridge [5. The triggernow remains in the position 36b until the contents of the cartridge havebeen fully discharged. The partial retreat of the plunger and cartridgep rmits the gas to escape rapidly into the puncturing chamber, but thelimiting of such retreat keeps the mouth of the chamber sealed andprevents loss of the gas.

The purpose of firing the gun is, of course, to discharge the harpoon l4from the barrel l2 toward the target at high velocity. It is notsuificient, however, that the harpoon merely hit I the target, becausethe object is to recover the fish, not merely to injure or kill it.

A metallic band 45 embraces the forward end of the barrel and providesjuxtaposed webs 46 and 41 beneath the barrel which are drawn together bya screw 48 and a nut 49 to cause the band to grip the barrel firmly.Beyond the webs 46 and 41 the band 45 is continued as aligned outwardlyreaching arms 50 and 5! whose ends are turned to form eyes 52 and 53.Forwardly projecting pins 54 and 55 are made fast in the eyes 52 and 53.

The inner end of a line 56 is clamped between the webs 46 and 41 so asto secure the line inseparably to the gun. The line is then wound infigure eight convolutions about the pins 54 and 55. After the last turnhas been wrapped around the pin 54, it is crossed over and is passeddown and caught between the arm 50 and a spring clip '51 attached to'thearm 50. The spring clip keeps the line wound up on the pins 54 and 55and in good order. Beyond the clip the line is tied to a ring 58 whichis mounted for free sliding movement upon the harpoon shaft l3. Beyondthe ring the line is passed through a hole 58X formed in the shaft 13near the forward end thereof, and a knot is tied. The length of linebetween the ring 58 and the hole 58X is so chosen that the ring mayslide to the rear end of the shaft l3 as illustrated in Fig. 2 but maynot slide ofi the shaft.

By means of the ring, the pull of the line upon the shaft is applied, ineffect, far to the rear of the center of gravity of the shaft so thatthere is little or no tendency for the line to deflect the harpoon fromits true course.

The harpoon shaft i3 is equipped with a re-' movable barb 59. The barb591 is formed at its forward end with a sharp point 60.and has a cy ndical bo e it formed. inits rear. end. The her 6 of uch diameter that thebarb is or? mally he d vlur fric i p uporrthc forward end of the shaft[3. The rearepd of the barb is cut n a b v l. as illustra ed ent-.62.and aslot 63 is provided inthc rear tip p rtion to divide the rear. ie oprongs fiiandfii. Theprones Sta d 65 are b nt outward so that tbeb rbmay notv be ead ly a eas wi h rawn ircmthe fishs body along thepaththrcueh which it. entered. The b b up n. n er g .tbe-fis sbcdvwillbeome ve y rea y d tached from, h aft 3 f t fish p s up any ki dof migh Either he line B. or a senaratecord may be xt d d rom the hol582;. oi. the shaft passed through a hole 660i the barb and. tied. Thelength of line or c rd extond between he holes 58X and 66, is made greatenough to permit. the barb to be readilydetached from the shaft but noto permit the fish to swimaway to any substantial distance from theshaft.

When the fish with the barb lodged in its body tries to pull away, thepull ofthe line56 is applied to the barb considerably in front of theprongs 64 and 65 and of the beveled face 62. The pull tends,therefore,.to turn the barb and to drive the prongs B4 and 65.1aterallyof the opening by which it. has entered the. fishs body, causing thebarb to be firmly anchored so that thereis no likelihood whateve'nofthefishbeing able to get away.

Since the gunis. designed .to be used under water, it will-desirably bemade of. materials which do not rust or.,corrode. The shoulder bar 3 androd 4' of the illustrative. gunv are made of black- Lucite. The handgripparts 33 are of rubber or some formof synthetic rubber. The gasketsand the ring. In are of. neoprene. The sleeve 5 and the barrel. ii. areof stainless. steel, while the other metallic parts with the exceptionof. the barb can advantageously be of brass. The barb is of casehardened steel;

From the foregoing description it is thought that the use of the'gunwill have been made entirely clear. When the gun has been fired theharpoon and line, together with the fish, if any, are first recovered,the line being rewound around the pins 54 and 55' as the hunter followsthe line or draws it in. When the harpoon shaft and barb have beenlocated, the barb is extricated from the fish and replaced upon theforward end of the shaft. The shaft is then inserted into the gun barrelas far as possible an'dis-retained there by frictional force.

The trigger is next moved to the position 36a of Fig, 6 to carry thepivot pin 42 down to position 42a and thereby retract the plunger 24 toa position in which it will not obstruct the withdrawal of the oldcartridge and the insertion of a fresh one. The cartridge having beenreplaced, the trigger is permitted to resume the full line position ofFig. 6, and this completes the preparation for reuse of the gun.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of myinvention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodimentsshown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. An underwater gun, comprising in combination, a. barrel, a cartridgeholder, a. block providing a cartridge puncturing chamber having an openrear end, said chamber communicating with the barrel through the rearend of the barrel, a puncturing pin in said chamber, the cartride ho dere tendin towardsa d pin and chamber, a p uneeniuirearward al nment wi hsaid barrel and cartridge holder f rdrivin t e. nose of the cartridgeforward through the open rear end of said hamber. which its the nose f ecartridge, and-o to. he Dunctur n r n. a

' dead center by rearward movement of the trigger arm, and cause theplunger to mantain the cartridge positively i n, position to sealtheopening inthe end of the cartridge puncturing chamher, and a. sealinggasket or deformable material lodged said opening of the puncturin charmbet for engaging the periphery ofthe cartridge nose.

2. An underwater gun, comprising in combination, a barrel, a oartridgehclder, a block providing a cartridge puncturing chamber having an openrear end, said-chamber communicating with the barrel through-the rearendof the barre a ct r ng pin-in sa s chamber ec idee holder extending.toward sa d 'pin and a ber a plungcr.,at..thc roan nd f the cartridgepuncturing. .,ehamber ,for driving the n se f the artrideedonward.throuh' hc p rear end of saidchamber-whichvfits ,the, nose,

of the cartridge, andontqthe puncturing p toggle for operatingthenluneer toward and from a predetermined cartridgepuncturing forwardlimit, ne arm. ofthe to gle having a trigger arm movable in eitherdirection, from the dead center condition toretracttlie plun er, and asta ary s p m mberdismsedin position to intercept. and positively arrestsaid-trig er arm as it travels rearwardly, thereby tolimit retraction ofthe plungen.whentheto gleismoved across dead center byrearward movementof the trigger arm, and cause the plunger to maintain the cartridgepositivelyinpqsitionto seal the opening in the rear end at the cartridgepuncturing chamber, the trigger arm-ppath, however, being unobstructedfor a greater, distance in a forward direction sufficient tovpermit agreaterretraction of the plunger and withdrawal of the cartridge fromthe cartridge holder.

3. An underwater gun comprising, in combination, .a barrel, a; cartridgeholder, a block providing a cartridge puncturing chamber having an openrear end, said chamber communicating with the barrel through the rearend of the barrel, a puncturing pin in said chamber, the cartridgeholder extending toward said pin and chamber, a plunger rearwardly ofsaid cartridge puncturing chamber for driving the nose of the cartridgeforward through the open rear end of said chamber, which fits the noseof the cartridge, and onto the puncturing pin, a toggle for operatingthe plunger toward and from a predetermined cartridge puncturing forwardlimit, one arm of the toggle having a trigger arm movable in eitherdirection from the dead center condition to retract the plunger, and astationary hand grip in back of the trig er toward which the trigger armmay be forced by the grip of the operator, said hand grip being disposedin position to intercept and positively arrest said trigger arm as ittravels rearward to limit retrac- '7 tion of the plunger and cause theplunger to maintain the cartridge positively in position to seal theopening in the rear end of the cartridge puncturing chamber.

4. A gun comprising, in combination, a barrel, a cartridge puncturingchamber in communication with the rear end of the barrel, a puncturingpin in the chamber, a trigger, and knee lever mechanism operable by saidtrigger through an extended position to effect relative approach of thecartridge and the puncturing pin as said knee lever mechanism movestoward its extended position and to permit separation of the cartridgeand the puncturing pin as said mechanism moves through and away from itsextended position.

5. A gun comprising, in combination, a barrel, a cartridge puncturingchamber in communication with the rear end of the barrel, a puncturingpin in the chamber, a toggle mechanism one arm of which forms a triggeroperable by the trigger through an extended position to effect relativeapproach of the cartridge and the puncturing pin as said togglemechanism moves toward its extended position, and to permit separationof the cartridge and the puncturing pin as said toggle mechanism movesthrough and away from its extended position.

6. An underwater gun comprising, in combination, a barrel, a cartridgeholder, a block providing a cartridge puncturing chamber having an openrear end surrounded by a gasket, said chamber communicating with thebarrel through the rear end of the barrel, a puncturing pin in saidchamber, a cartridge holder extending toward said pin and chamber, a,plunger at the rear end of the cartridge holder for driving the nose ofthe cartridge forward through the opening in the rear end of saidchamber, which fits the nose of the cartridge, and onto the puncturingpin, a toggle for operating the plunger toward and from a predeterminedcartridge puncturing forward limit, one arm of the toggle having atrigger movable in either direction from the dead center condition toretract the plunger, and a stationary stop disposed in position tointercept and positively arrest said trigger arm as it travels through,thereby to limit retraction of the plunger when the toggle is movedacross dead center by rearward movement of the trigger arm, and to causethe plunger to maintain the cartridge positively in position and incoopera tion with said gasket surrounding the cartridge puncturingchamber to seal the opening at the rear end of the cartridge puncturingchamber upon puncturing oi the cartridge.

7. A device as set forth in claim 6, said plunger having a concave seatfor engaging the cartridge and maintaining alignment of the cartridgewith the puncturing chamber.

8. A gun comprising-in combination, a barrel, a stock, a hand grip, acartridge puncturing chamber in communication with the rear end of saidbarrel, a puncturing pin'in said chamber, a toggle mechanism one arm ofwhich includes a trigger, said mechanism being adapted to causepuncturing of a cartridge in said chamber by forcing the cartridgeagainst said pin while said mechanism passes from one contractedposition through its extended position to a second contracted position,said second contracted position determined by said trigger engaging saidhandle.

9. A gun comprising in combination, a stock, a hand grip. a barrel, acartridge puncturing means, said means including a cartridge puncturingchamber in communication with the rear end of said barrel, a puncturingpin in said chamber, a trigger, a toggle mechanism connected to saidtrigger and adapted to be operated through an extended position toeffect the puncture of a cartridge in said chamber and allow retractionof the cartridge from the puncturing position, said toggle beingarrested in its rearward movement by engagement of said trigger withsaid hand grip.

10. A gun comprising in combination, a barrel, a, cartridge puncturingchamber in communication with the rear end of said barrel, a cartridgepuncturing pin in the chamber, a trigger, a toggle mechanism connectedto said trigger so as to be operated through an extended position toeifect relative approach of a cartridge and the puncturing pin as saidtoggle mechanism moves toward its extended position, and to permitseparation of the cartridge and the puncturing pin as said mechanismmoves through and away from its extended position.

BENJAMIN S. HOLDERNESS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 923,573 Perry June 1, 19091,272,421 Glissenti July 16, 1918 2,083,689 Clifford June 15, 19372,194,618 Scramlin Mar. 26, 1940 2,375,314 Mills May 8, 1945 2,404,249Potter July 16. 1946

